Embracing Change: The Challenges of Changing ‘Traditional’ Mindsets

Many organisations are beginning to feel the need to be leaner and more nimble in order to better adapt to today’s ever-changing and uncertain world. This is especially true for the digital space – a sector where technology is creating new behaviours and competitors at an unprecedented rate. What many companies are discovering is that adapting to these changes means altering how they think, work and – most importantly – collaborate. This is no easy challenge.

In the course of my work, I’m often asked how companies can drive and embed a greater understanding, awareness and practice of agile ways of working within their teams and organisations, especially for those who are used to following traditional methodologies. In truth, there’s no single or simple answer, but here is my take on it.

Change is scary – especially when we are used to a particular way of working. The reality, however, is that change is inevitable and learning to embrace change and being open to possibilities is both healthy and an urgent necessity, which all comes down to mindset and learning how to adapt to the environment around you. Change, however can be seen as a big ask in terms of culture, time & resource – not to mention risk, which can produce a lot of resistance to adopting new approaches and ways of working. So how can we set about convincing more traditional mindsets to move towards agile practices? For me, success comes down to four key factors: Value: Be the change you want to see, Trust: Collaborate & build relationships, Time: Habit forming isn’t easy, Flexibility: There really is no one way.

In this talk, I want to dive into real life examples of how teams and organisations can overcome resistance to change and focus on the very nature of the problem, which is, that change is not just about engineering and tech – it’s about the organisation as a whole.